Lid fastener



March 11 1924. 1,486,545

W. E. REEDER LID FASTENER Filed Feb. 21, 1923 gwuento c Patented Mar. Ml, 19241.

mates res WILLIAM E. REEDER, OF HOT SPRINGS, SOUTH DAKOTA.

LID FASTENER.

Application filed February 21, 1923. Serial No. 620,405.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM E. .REEDER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hot Springs, in the county of Fall River and State of South Dakota, have invented certain new and .useful Improvements in Lid Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is a device for locking the lids of boxes or crates and is intended more particularly for use upon fruit and egg crates and boxes although it may, of course, be applied to any box. The object of the invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive and easily operated device by the use of which the lid will be securely clamped in position without mutilation and may be easily removed when desired. Another object of the invention is to provide a device which may be applied to any box and which, when in locking position, will efi'ectnally hold the lid upon the box.

One embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a box having my improved fastener applied thereto, the fasitener being shown in looking position; an

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a box with my improved fastener applied, the fastener being shown in position to permit removal of the lid.

The box or crate 1 is of rectangular formation and is provided at its ends with transverse cleats 2 at its upper edge, as shown. The lid 3 is preferably a flat board or plurality of boards secured together in any convenient manner and of proper dimensions to fit upon the box and extend over the entire area of the top of the same. The fastener comprises two longitudinally extending arms or bails 4 of stout wire or light rods which are bowed inwardly, as clearly shown, and which are connected at their ends bytransverse bridges or connecting portions 5 adapted to engage under the lower edges of the cleats 2. These bridging portions 5 are preferably integral with the side portions of the fastener and the entire fastener is preferably formed from a single strand of wire, the ends being welded together or twisted together, as indicated at 6. Rising from the ends of the bridging portions 5 are straight short portions 7 adapted to bear closely against the sides of the box at the upper end thereof and against the side edges of the lid, the said upwardly extending portions 7 merging at their upper ends into inwardly projecting shoulders 8 which are adapted to extend over the lid and bear upon the same. From the inner ends of these clamping portions or shoulders 8, straight portions 9 extend over the lid toward the center thereof, and these straight portions may be used as thumb pieces to facilitate the application of the device to the box when the lid is to be fastened. The bowed main portions of the arms 4 are connected with the 's'traightport-ions 9 by outwardly projected bulged portions 10 which form convenient finger holds to facilitate the spreading of the arms when the fastener is to be released from the lid. Fitted upon the locking arms 4c at about the centers of the same are links or straps 11 having their outer extremities formed into eyes or loops 12 which engage around the locking arms, and the inner ends of these links or straps are connected by a coupling link 13 having a handle member 14: projecting laterally therefrom at its center, the free end of this handle member being doubled upon itself to form a book 15 adapted to engage one of the locking arms 4 to hold the said arms in the locking position.

It is thought the use of the device will be readily understood from the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing. The lid having been placed in position upon the box, the bridging portions 5 of the fastener are engaged under the end cleats 2 and the locking arms are disposed longitudinally over the lid, as shown. the straps or links 11 and the coupling link 13 being disposed in alinement, as shown in Fig. 2, so that the fastener will be spread and may be easily ongaged under the end cleats and over the edges of the lid. The handle member 14: is then swung to either side and the inner ends of the links 11 will be thereby drawn toward each other so that the locking arms will be made to approach and the upstanding portions 7 and shoulders 8 drawn into intimate clamping engagement with the lid and the sides of the box. The hook. 15 is pushed under one of the arms a and engaged around the same, as shown in Fig. 1, so that the tendency of the arms to spring outwardly will draw the eyes 12 and the hook 15 into intimate engagement with the arms and spreading of the arms will be thereby prevented, as will be readily understood. It will be noted that my improved fastener is easily applied to and removed from the lid and box and, when in position, is entirely within the lines of the lid with the exception of the upstanding portions 7 which are of such small dimensions that they are not apt to be dislodged by chance blows. Moreover, the fastener is held so closely to the lid and to the box that ordinary blows will not release it so that the lid will be firmly held in place until the handle member 14 is released from the engaged side arm 4 and then swung around so as to permit spreading of the arms. Lateral movement of the lid is obviously revented by the side portions 7, and the rictional engagement of the shoulders 8 with the top of the lid prevents endwise movement of the same. If desired, slight notches may be formed in the edges of the lid to be engaged by the upper ends of the upstanding portions .7 so that endwise movement of the lid will be positively prevented. The fastener can be produced rapidly at a low cost and it may berepeatedly. used for an indefinite period.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is: y

' 1. A lid fastener for boxes comprising arms adapted to extend over the lid, bridging members connecting the arms and adapted to engage fixed portions of a box,

and means disposed between and connecting the arms whereby to draw the same together over the lid.

2. A lid fastener for boxes comprising arms, bridge members connecting the ends of the said arms, links fitted to the arms between the ends of the same, and a coupling member connecting the inner ends of the links and adapted to efi'ect movement of the links toward or from each other whereby to contract or expand the arms and having means to engage one of the arms whereby to maintain them in locking position.

3. "A lid fastener for boxes comprising longitudinally extending side arms, bridge members connecting the ends of said arms, links engaged with the arms between the ends of the same, a coupling member pivotally connected to the inner ends of the links, and a handle member extending laterally from said coupling member between the ends thereof and provided at its free end with a hook to engage one of the side arms.

4. A lid fastener for boxes comprising longitudinally extending side arms, bridge members adapted to engage against the ends of a box, upstanding portions at the ends of the said bridge members, and inwardly projecting shoulders connecting the upper ends of said upstanding portions with the ends of the arms, and'means for causing the intermediate-portions of the arms to ap roach or recede from each other.

n testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

WILLIAM E. REEDER. [n s.] 

